Gospel Reflection 2021/2022
2nd Sunday of Advent
5 Dec 2021
Do-it-yourself phenomena.
Mr DIY is a phenomenal Malaysian-based home improvement retailer. It offers a wide range of affordable home improvement products for do-it-yourself (DIY) projects. Now that everyone can DIY, who really needs a repairman, an electrician, or an interior designer?
On the internet, Google is a powerful search engine. Tonnes of information (and misinformation) is just a click away. All we need to do is to insert the keyword, and the answer (be it right or wrong) will be served to us on silver platter. Now that everyone can Google, who really needs a teacher, a professor, a scientist, or a doctor?
In the bookstores, the ever-thriving and ever-growing section is the self-help, self-heal and new age section. The authors are promising that reading their books will allow us to have mastery over our own selves, manipulation over others, and control of the chi (energies) of the universe. With such ‘powers’, we tend to believe that everything is within our grasp, our fate lies in our own hands, and we determine our own future. Now that salvation can be DIY, who really needs a God and a Saviour?
Salvation is from God ALONE.
In Christianity, salvation is the deliverance from sin and its evil consequences.
We are finite beings – fragile, weak, sinful and broken. By our own effort, we can never save our own souls or pay the ransom for our sins [cf. Ps 49: 7-8]. There is no DIY salvation because salvation is from God ALONE.
We can NEVER find salvation elsewhere: in the sun, moon, stars, astrology, feng shui, chi, or chakras… in other gods, goddesses, deities, or spirits… in Google, self-help, or self-heal… in earthly power or wealth…, or in all other created things, including own mortal selves. There is NO salvation without God.
The Psalmist [Ps 121: 1-2] exclaims,
“I lift up my eyes to the hills
– from where will my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.”
Salvation is from God ALONE through JESUS CHRIST.
The name JESUS means ‘God saves’ – for He will deliver us from our sins [cf. Lk 1: 31]. The Catholic Church has consistently taught that Jesus Christ is the ONLY Saviour of the World. Jesus, the Incarnate Word of God and the Eternal Son of the Father, has come into the world to sacrifice His life for all of us so that we can be reconciled with the Father [cf. Mk 10: 45; Mt 20:28].
St Peter, the Chief Apostle, affirms this clearly [Ac 4: 12]: “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” And St Paul echoes that Jesus is the ONLY mediator between God and men [1 Tm 2: 56], “For there is ONE GOD, and there is ONE MEDIATOR between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all.”
Jesus is the Joy of our salvation.
On the 1st Sunday of Advent, the Scripture readings presented Jesus as the Liberator of our fear.
And on the 2nd Sunday of Advent, the Gospel reading tells us that “All men shall see the salvation of God” [Lk 3: 6] – He is the Joy of our salvation.
St Louis de Montfort beautifully sums up the Christological faith of the Church:
“Jesus Christ is the Alpha and the Omega,
the beginning and the end of everything...
He is the ONLY teacher from Whom we must learn;
the ONLY Lord on Whom we should depend;
the ONLY Head to Whom we should be united
and the ONLY model that we should imitate.
He is the ONLY Physician that can heal us;
the ONLY Shepherd that can feed us;
the ONLY Way that can lead us;
the ONLY Truth that we can believe;
the ONLY Life that can animate us.
He ALONE is everything to us
and he ALONE can satisfy all our desires...”
This Advent, may we re-examine and re-orientate our hearts, our minds and our lives, and realign ourselves to Christ. It is ONLY through our Lord Jesus, can we enter into abundant life, seek refuge from evil, acquire rest for our wearied hearts, and find salvation for our souls.
Let our fervent prayer be:
“Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed;
save me, and I shall be saved.”
[Jr 17: 14]